AOG DESIGN Genuine Leather Dress Belt (1 1/4" wide) with Open Automatic Buckle

Pretty good belt. I've been wearing it almost every day since it arrived around the first part of Jan.It's much lighter in weight than another ratchet belt I have (which is heavy, and heavy duty). I had traveled over the Holidays with the previous ratchet belt and the buckle set off the machines so I had to take the buckle off, and then I struggled with holding up pants and... what a hassle!I decided to try other, and hopefully lighter ratchet belts till I found one I liked. So on my first try I ended up with this one, and it's okay. In two months (so far) it's light enough that the buckle does *not* pull my pants down in the front (and expose my shirt tail in the process). It has not jumped ratchets once, and I put a goodly amount of tension on it (48 waist, 300lbs).The belt is getting a bit of a memory twist to it. Not sure that really matters - that's just the belt getting broken in and comfortable. It now has a scuff mark on it which didn't rub out with fingers so I'll try saddle soap or something (not totally sure this is leather - it could be).All in all it's an okay belt. With this I don't have belt holes where the prong is ripping the hole - love the ratchet belt idea. This particular belt is super light - as light as any other belt I've had recently). The blue interior of the belt is kind of classy, but I'm not sure anyone sees it.We'll see how it holds up. I'll keep you posted. Maybe.

I own several ratchet belts but this one is such a pain to get the buckle to release after the belt is tightened up! I would absolutely return it if stupidly I hadn’t cut it to my size. I assumed it was the same as every other ratchet buckle I’ve used/had.Buy a different brand! Trust me!

I really like the belt even tho it is a man's belt. I have looked for women's belts but most are fashion belts--not what I needed. I needed something slim to wear under my top in my jeans belt loops so nobody can see it. It is a shame tho because it is good looking. The only thing I didn't like was following the directions--I don't do that to very well. But no matter, the directions were easy to follow and I got the belt working.

Tightening mechanism works fine. Loosening mechanism on the other hand is almost useless. You have to bend the whole buckle at an extreme angle inevitably having to push one end of it into your belly (see photo) to get it to ineffectively release the ratchet. Part of the joy of a ratcheting belt is being able to change its length easily like when you eat a big meal or sit down and need to release some pressure. This thing is infuriating to try to loosen.

I little tricky to get it to release (easiest way for me is to pull the slack end of the belt straight out then slide the buckle up) but it looks nice, is completely adjustable and doesn't make noise or have a huge buckle. I like it.

The mechanism to undo the belt is cumbersome. I own several ratchet belts and they all have a trigger or something similar to release the belt. This particular one has to be bent inward at a 90 degree angle for it to release. There are much better ones out there for the same price or less.

The outer layer of this belt looks and works great. The problem is with inner layer of the belt. With more than occasional wear, this layer does not hold up. This side of the belt cracks and splits. The material around the first notch tears after just a few uses. As I said the difference between the inner and outer layers is like night and day.

It bought this (in white), to wear for refereeing water polo. I guess if I ever visit Las Vegas, I can get a pair of polyester plaid pants and white shoes and fit right in! :) At any rate, the belt was very easy to cut down to size and holds securely. It actually feels pretty well-made for the price.